Use of digital flashcards for reproductive health counseling among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to determine whether "digital flashcard" graphics on a provider's smartphone are helpful in educating adolescents about reproductive health.

METHODS

A randomized study compared the understanding of reproductive health topics among adolescents using digital flashcards during a clinical visit vs counseling as usual (control).

RESULTS

There were 197 subjects (99 flashcards, 98 control) with mean age of 14.7 years. Among subjects in the flashcard group, new patients used more flashcards than return patients (3.48 vs 2.40,  = 0.001). The most frequently used flashcards were 7-day placebo birth control pills, the intrauterine device, internal anatomy and 84-day birth control pills. Among the flashcard group 96.9 % reported they "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that flashcards were helpful in understanding the topics discussed, and 98 % would recommend using them in the future. All subjects experienced an increase in understanding of the topics discussed during clinic, and there was no difference between the flashcard group and control.

CONCLUSION

Subjects using the digital flashcards during their clinical encounter reported high acceptability.

INNOVATION

Digital flashcards are accessible via smart phone use and can be easily distributed among providers to assist in reproductive health counseling in adolescents.